Leverage

Finding such crucial pivot points and concentrating force on them is the secret of strategic leverage.

A good strategy draws power from focusing minds, energy, and action.  That focus, channeled at the right moment onto a pivotal objective, can produce a cascade of favorable outcomes.  This source of power can be called leverage.

Archimedes, one of the smartest people who ever lived, said, "Give me a lever long enough, a fulcrum strong enough, and I'll move the world."  What he no doubt knew, but did not say, was that to move the earth, his lever would have to be billions of miles long.  With this enormous lever, a swing of Archimedes' arm might move the earth by the diameter of one atom.  Given the amount of trouble involved, he would be wise to apply his lever to a spot where this tiny movement would make a large difference.  Finding such crucial pivot points and concentrating force on them is the secret of strategic leverage.

ACTION POINT: Look for the place where small changes will make big differences.